Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

Some Classics

A Wrinkle in Time - (Newberry Medal Winner) This is simply a beautiful book that has blazed a trail in modern children's fantasy by putting forward a story of several children embarking on a grand adventure; In this case to rescue their father. There is some fascinating and thoughtful stuff in this book like living stars and tesseracts. It is a perennial favorite and on every librarian's list.

A Wizard of Earthsea - Written by Ursula K. Leguin this is the first book in a series called The EarthSea series. Short and light but extraordinarily beautiful. This first book in the series follows a young boy named Ged as he goes from being a simple goat herd to a powerful wizard. It is simply beautiful and it brings forth some wonderful and magical themes such as the concept that everything (including dragons) has a secret name. And if you know the secret name you can control the thing (including dragons).

The Hobbit - This probably shouldn't be on this list but it is so good that I can't leave it off. With the absolute enormous success of the Lord of the Rings movies this book may be overlooked but I consider it better! It is also in the works to be a movie.

Five Children and it - This is one of the most popular books written by Edith Nesbit who is often credited with creating the whole genre of children embarking on fantasy adventures. Her books are in the public domain now and can easily be found for free. The theme of this book is: Be careful what you ask for. You may get it! That's the message in this delightful tale of five youngsters who discover a bizarre sand creature that grants wishes. There's a catch, of course: the wishes come undone at sunset, and worse yet, things often get out of hand!

Dragonflight - This book is a little more complex than earlier ones I have cited here and it tends toward being more of a novel for grownups but it very suitable for teens. We are introduced to a complex world of dragons through the main character Lessa. This book is often credited with being the book that has launched many a young girls writing career. It is the first book in a trilogy of books called The Dragon riders of Pern series.

A Princess of Mars: - The first novel in the Edgar Rice Burroughs series and currently in the initial stages of being written into a movie or animation that will be made by Pixar. This is the first book in a series called John Carter of Mars and it is good rollicking fun in the tradition of the old pulp magazines. It is a favorite for young boys who like sword fighting big monsters.

Contemporary fantasy and fiction

When it comes to modern fantasy fiction for teens there is an enormous selection to choose from and that, in itself, could be an obstacle. Here are summaries of some of the more popular ones and I have also picked some that are currently slated to be made into a movie.

Artemis Fowl Series - This series of books takes a little bit of an unusual position as far as children's books go because Artemis Fowl himself is a twelve year old genius and a criminal mastermind. The author of these books calls them Die Hard with Fairies! And the books are often characterized as being a high-octane and rip-roaring ride. It is a wildly popular series of books with a big website and even a wiki. There are currently five books in the series with the first being simply titled Artemis Fowl. The sixth book "The Time Paradox" is set to be released in July of 2008.

Here, there be Dragons - The title itself is rather mysterious and harkens back to another time. This was the phrase that cartographers used to write in patches of ocean that were unexplored. The basic premise of this story will really resonate with teens that are fans of fantasy itself because it starts with the unusual meeting of three young strangers John, Jack, and Charles on a rainy night in London. We later find out these three young men are J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, and Charles Williams.

The Kingdoms and the Elves of the Reaches - This is a series of books that takes place in a world of magic and secrets called Ruin Mist. This book was slow to start but word of mouth turned it into a best seller. It is one of those relatively little known books and series that is very satisfying.

Septimus Heap - If magic and wizards are of strong appeal this series of books make a great alternative to Harry Potter. The Main character (Septimus) is the seventh son of a seventh son and the main line of the story follows two children switched at birth: a boy destined to be a wizard and a girl destined to be a princess. There are currently four books in the series and the first book has been picked up by Warner Brothers and is currently being made into a movie that is scheduled for release in 2010.

Any of these books or series will launch teens and young adults on a remarkable adventure into strange fantasy worlds and no joystick or keyboard is required.

Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

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Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults
Summer Fantasy Book Reading For Teens and Young Adults

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Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Treasure Island is Robert Louis Stevenson's first real success that has maintained it's position as one of the greatest classics of the world from generation to another.

The plot of the novel is quite simple. The treasure map of a furious pirate captain Flint ends up to young Jim Hawkins who goes for the treasure with his good friend Dr. Liveyse and other villagers. Departed captain Flint's men infiltrate to the treasure galley Hispaniola as crew members. When the galley reaches the island the pirates rise up against Jim and his companions who have to establish a camp to the ground. On the island Jim meets Ben Gunn who was left on the island three years earlier. At this point starts a real island adventure and treasure hunt.

Especially one of the most positive things of the book is Stevenson's descriptive language, the people and scenery literally take form in your eyes. The treasure island and the pirates bring expression to the book and especially the story of the island could have been longer. The language is occasionally harder to understand and somewhat old-fashioned but mostly it just gave more charm to the story. The language fitted especially good to the mouth of the pirates. The most annoying thing was the foreseeability of the story. The main character is Jim Hawkins who took the role of a hero despite of his young age. Most of the book is about the conflict of thrift versus profligacy.

Treasure Island is very traditional adventure novel, especially as a youth novel which has attractive setting and the hero is a young adult. The conflict between good and bad is commonly present in this type of novels. Treasure Island is a good, entertaining and captivating novel that does not offer bigger surprises. I would recommend the novel mainly to young adults but also to little older fans of adventure literature.

Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Review of Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

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Top Ten Books for Young Adults

Ferocious dragons and evil witches; mighty heroes and invincible superheroes; romantic tales and happily-ever-after stories: the fantasy world of a young adult is weaved around all these.Though there are comics, T.V. channels and DVDs where he can satiate his passions very well, books for young adults are the latest fads. Can you imagine their world without all those Harry Potters and Frodo Bagginses who hold the reins of their hearts all the time? The best thing is that grabbing a book of their choice is not that hard these days, thanks to the myriad online book stores that are only a click away from their reach. Well, if you are a teenager and looking forward to read some really good books, here is a list of some of the best ones that you can purchase and enjoy.

Inheritance (by Christopher Paolini)
A captivating story of a Dragon Rider, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira who are on an adventurous quest to save Alagaesia from the clutches of the evil king, Galbatorix. One of the ultimate fantasy books for young adults.

The 39 Clues:Cahills Vs. Vespers: A Kings Ransom (by Jude Watson)
Second in the series of 39 clues, this one is about Amy and Dan for whom taking the right decision is like getting blood out of a stone. They have to face deadly Vespers who will either play havoc with the world if not stopped or snatch the hidden tunnels leading to Timbuktu from them.

Angel Fire: (by L.A. Weatherly)
A book where action and adventure are thrown in together for the teen young adults. Willow and her lover are determined to kill Church of Angels, but there are hurdles as Willow is only half-angel. Soon, she finds herself fallen for another handsome stranger.

Heroes of Olympus: The Son of Neptune (by Rick Riordan)
In continuation to the last saga, Heroes of Olympus: The Lost Hero, this book for young adults is an answer to the questions that they were left guessing last time. Percy Jackson comes back and is on a quest to Roman half-blood camp. What happens next? Get this thriller and start reading.

A Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire (by George R.R.Martin)
Nothing less than an epic, this mind-blowing young adult fiction is of astronomical proportion in terms of fantasy and catastrophe.

Fallen in Love (by Lauren Kate)
It is all about bumping into someone and falling in love with him; it is about excruciating pain of losing a passionate love; and it is about the urgency to make love for one last time. You will read the book with throbbing hearts and pangs of separation. A book that every young adult will fell in love with.

King of Lanka (by David Nair)
A book for young adults that they are going to connect with the epic story of Ramayana. Rasita is captured by the devilish Ravindra and her friends Vikram and Manjit have to rescue her from the clutches of Ravindra whose mind is plotting nefarious plans.

Kate Chronicles: The Red Pyramid (by Rick Riordan)
A story that turns the tables and takes the reader from the precincts of mundane life to the world of Egypt gods. Dr. Julius Kane, father of Carter and Sadie, unleashes Set, an Egyptian god, while performing his research work. The sons set out on a quest to protect the devil that is after their father now. One of the best young adult fictions.

The Power of Six (by Pittacus Lore)
A captivating science fiction story for young adults with surprises at every turn. A sequel to 'I am Number Four', this book is the next in the series of Lorein Legacies. The book is a narration from the point of view of John, Number Four and Marina, Number Seven.

Abandon: Underworld (by Meg Cabbot)
Another book that takes the reader to dark and bewitching world of the underworld. Meg Cabbot has come up with a sequel to his previous immensely popular book 'Abandon'. Pierce is fatally attracted to John who lives in the dark realm. But she finds out some unexpected things about him and is perplexed what to do next. Pick up the one that interests you and order at some good online bookstore.

Pick up the one that interests you and order at some good online bookstore.

Top Ten Books for Young Adults

Mockingjay

Top Ten Books for Young Adults

Top Ten Books for Young Adults
Top Ten Books for Young Adults

Mockingjay